Your View: Low-income areas should be targets of school resources

A month ago I read an MSN article on the top 10 countries in student test scores and what they had in common.

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By KENNETH POTTEL

southcoasttoday.com

By KENNETH POTTEL

Posted Jan. 24, 2014 at 12:01 AM

By KENNETH POTTEL
Posted Jan. 24, 2014 at 12:01 AM

» Social News

A month ago I read an MSN article on the top 10 countries in student test scores and what they had in common.

Two of these really hit me. One was that the top countries really put a lot of money into low-income communities and the other was all of the top five had strong safety nets, much stronger then in the U.S.

Whenever this is mentioned to administrators by teachers they are quickly admonished, but the reality is that right now our safety net is getting weaker and weaker, which puts a real strain of low-income families.

If you took the high school teachers in New Bedford and changed with the teachers in Old Rochester, the same results in test scores at both communities would occur. So the problem is not the teachers, but a society that has not been able to effectively support inner cities in an effective manner. It is wrong to use the teachers as a scapegoat.

When I met with Martha Coakley in Mattapoisett, she was shocked when she heard that half the teachers were going to be fired because of low test scores. She seemed to get it, in understanding that communities like New Bedford needed more support. Firing teachers and laying off teachers is not the answer.

Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational-Technical High School has a real strong outreach to New Bedford High School, and because they have more students applying than they have slots for, they can be selective. If a student from New Bedford attends GNB and causes a lot of problems, they are sent back to New Bedford High School. You also have some parents who are more motivated, choosing to send their children to charter or to private high schools.

In addition, we are seeing more and more cuts made to education and to programs to support low-income families putting more strain on those on the lower end of the income scale. In Acushnet, more and more parents are choosing to send their children to the vocational school or to Fairhaven High School.

One other factor I have seen is the lack of good leadership that inspires and values teachers. This seems to be really lacking in New Bedford and in many other schools. I have personally known of two dynamic principals who inspire teachers. One is Matt D'Andrea, who recently left as principal in Mattapoisett to serve on Martha's Vinyard, and the other is Amy Hartley-Mattson, who is the principal of the Wood School in Fairhaven.

I have talked to a number of staff at Wood School and they all love working there and feel really valued. She is a dynamic leader. Unfortunately, we have many administrators but few leaders in education.